Texas school bus driver charged with DWI after crashing into car with students inside, police say

GIDDINGS, Texas - A Giddings ISD bus driver was charged with a DWI after crashing into another car with students inside, police said.

Giddings police said on May 1, around 7:47 a.m., officers were notified of a hit-and-run crash in the 200 block of N. Orange St. involving a Giddings ISD school bus that rear-ended another car, and left the scene.

The bus and driver were located, and the officers identified the driver as Sherry Francis, 65.

Sherry Francis, 65, was charged with a DWI with a child passenger, then taken before a magistrate where she was given a $7,500 bond and released on personal recognizance. Mug shot courtesy: Lee County Sheriff's Office

At the time of the crash, it was learned that 14 students were in the bus, however, no one was injured, and the damage to the passenger car was minimal.

During the investigation, probable cause was established that Francis was impaired by a substance other than alcohol and was taken into custody. She later consented to a blood draw to be submitted for forensic testing. 

Francis was charged with a DWI with a child passenger, then taken before a magistrate where she was given a $7,500 bond and released on personal recognizance.

Giddings ISD released a statement following the crash:

"On the morning of May 1, 2023, a Giddings I.S.D. school bus was involved in a low speed accident at a stop light. No students were injured. The driver of the bus was arrested after the accident, and the District is fully cooperating with law enforcement. The driver has been suspended from duty while this matter is being investigated. The safety of our students is always our number one priority."